Ordinary Joes
by CackleRubblePop
Summary: Enevitabley, I think, perhaps, a man must change or die. In in the end, there were, perhaps, limits to how much he could let himself change.
1. The Escape

Chapter 1  
  
The bright lights of Costa del Sol never went out. Not in the center of town, anyways. Every bar, club, and casino displayed its neon proudly; enticing young vacationers with fifty foot signs, gorgeous women, and the view of the beach from the third floor. It was everyone's dream, since the Crisis was gone. Head out somewhere care-free, spend the week, blow your money, do something terrible and go home hoping your wife won't smell it on you. This kind of adventure attracted every crowd. Everyone loved it in Costa del Sol. The people who lived there, however, had a different image. People trying to live a normal, peaceful life and still get a tan had built their houses away from the glitz and glam of what was the biggest tourism industry in the world, but the blinding lights still managed to penetrate many a curtain or shade. Most of the residents had gotten sleeping masks, to deal with the conditions, and the others were all just easy sleepers. Unfortunately for Owen Strife, he did not have a mask, and was not a heavy sleeper.  
  
A pair of strained, careful footsteps padded outside his bedroom door in the living room, followed by what seemed to be Velcro and a zipper. Owen rolled over and stared at the green digital numbers on his alarm clock. 3:18.  
  
"Dad?" He yelled groggily, realizing the error of his ways only after the word had escaped his mouth. The movement stopped. Owen cursed himself under his breath and quieted his breathing. He would not screw it up this time. It had only been a few seconds, but the house seemed to be engulfed in an unnatural blanket of tension so thick, he couldn't even hear the ever-present noises from downtown.  
  
"…Dad?" He called again, crawling out from underneath the thin sheets and warily making his way to the door. It was unusual for his father to stay quiet for so long. Whenever he said anything, there was always a frantic scrambling and a door slamming. His hands were slippery, and the door stuck; he had to give an extra hard push for it to open. Owen stepped outside his bedroom, keeping the door only slightly ajar. He couldn't risk the squeaking that gave him away every other time. The boy poked his head around the door, expecting to see his father for once, standing in the living room with that same guilty expression he wore whenever he came back from one of these trips. And why shouldn't he? Leaving his son home without warning, not telling him where he was headed or when he would be back, and no one to take care of him. Owen could remember stay home alone since he was 10 for about a week at a time. But as usual, there was nothing. Owen let out a dejected sigh as the empty living room stared back at him.  
  
"getting' good, daddio." He muttered to himself, running a hand through his naturally unkempt blonde hair. "Too good for Secret Agent Strife, it seems." Smirk. Karate stance. It was too early for this. At least he had the house to himself.  
  
AN: It's kinda short, but whatever. Hooray for Cloud's child! But where's the mother? gasp 


	2. Outsider Readings

Chapter 2

Day broke early in Costa del Sol, and as always, Owen missed it. During the summer, when he wasn't sent off to that snooty rich boy's boarding school, Owen's day started some time after noon. Everyone seemed to think it was a little late to be getting out of bed, but to Owen it was perfect. Traffic was always bad in the afternoons. Hundreds of people crowded the streets, trying desperately to make their favorite spot on the beach, pushing and shoving competition out of the way. The only way to avoid the traffic was to get up early. And so, the only way to avoid the beach in the Villa was to wake up late. Cloud was usually gone when his son got up, even if he wasn't on another journey. It seemed Cloud liked Costa del Sol's beaches better than he liked his house, or his son, or even himself. Often times, when Owen was younger, he and his father would go down just after the sun came up, when the sand was cool and the water was just beginning to warm. Those times at the early morning beach were the only times Cloud ever paid special attention to his son. First the first time in what Owen had seen of his father's life, there were no distractions from what he cared about, or what he was doing. That never happened any other time. Cloud even ignored the ladies. Women down there just couldn't seem to resist the tan, muscular body, boyishly innocent face, and of course, the full head of thick blonde hair that should have started graying some time ago. The famously heroic background and immense wealth didn't hurt either. Some women would tried several times a day to get Cloud's attention, and only succeeded in getting everyone else's. Owen couldn't help but stare as two beautiful girls loudly wondered if there was any man willing to rub sunscreen all over them, and found himself laughing as women slightly younger than his father tell their friends the ultimate dream of a man with a good body and the know-how on kids when the two walked by. Yeah. Just because he's got 'em doesn't mean he's good with 'em. As far as Owen was concerned, the only thing Cloud was good at was daydreaming and running away. Oh, and saving the world.

A knock on the door interrupted Owen from his thoughts, and he blinked. The trip from reality had caused his eyes to water. Grateful that he would have company, the cast-away son wiped his eyes on his sleeve and got up to answer the door. Probably Mukki again, asking if Cloud was up for an afternoon jog. The only other person it could be was...

A tall girl with a deep tan stood on the doorstep, her fist raised mid-knock. She had short black hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed that morning, and brig brown eyes to match her skin. The overall darkness of her against the burning white sun of Costa del Sol seemed to enhance the shine of metal on her ears and nose. Her clothes were a mess—stained and ragged. They were usually that way, but Owen couldn't help feeling disgusted just the same. Juelle. A nice name for a scruffy girl. Her sister, on the other hand...

"You wear a sweatshirt in the middle of summer?" She raised an eyebrow. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Juelle," Owen forced himself to smile as she pushed past him, inspecting the interior of the house as if she'd never seen it before. "What a pleasant surprise." His smile faded, absent-mindedly running his tongue over his teeth in annoyance. Juelle had muddy shoes. **Mud**! In Costa del Sol! She could sell it to the natives and make a fortune, but she chose to track it in his house instead. He should be so lucky.

"I saw your dad leave this morning." Owen snorted. Juelle's idea of morning was one minute after midnight. "He didn't take the buggy, either." Now there was something interesting. Owen took a quick peak out into the driveway. The buggy _was _there, what's more, the keys in the ignition. Juelle picked up a heavy glass semicircle and rolled it over in her hands.

"What the hell is this?"

"A paperweight, Juelle." Owen shut the door, mind still set on the buggy. He didn't have license, or even a permit. Who else could the keys be for?

"I'm surprised nobody stole the thing." Juelle set the paperweight down and went on to explore desk drawers. Owen couldn't help but wonder if she looked in the windows of everyone's car, or if he was a special exception. "What does he think he's gonna drive to Junon, anyways?" Junon? Juelle must have seen him board the ship. Odd though, Owen always saw him heading towards Coral. And what would he drive in Junon?

_"Daddy, what's that?"_

_"It's a bike, Owen."_

_"Cool! Can I ride it?"_

_"It's not safe."_

_"But I know how to ride a bike!"_

"_It's not the same kind. This one is dangerous."_

_"Pleeeease?"_

_"I said no!"_

_"...Where'd you get it?"_

_"Midgar."_

_"Where's that?"_

_"...Look, you wanna be dirty for Aunt Yuffie or are you gonna get in the shower?"_

"Hello?" Owen jumped at the sound of his guest's voice and the weight of her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alive, or... did I kill you with my evil mind powers?" Owen gave her a blank look, forgetting that she'd stopped by only moments before There was a hint of concern in her big brown eyes that she'd failed to pass on to her voice. "Seriously Owen. Are you okay?"

"Yeah yeah, fine." He waved a hand in front of her, brushing off his momentary lapse into memory. "Here, you wanna look through my stuff? There's a letter for me on the table." Juelle gave her friend a small look of shock and headed off to the kitchen. It might not have been a very good idea to let Juelle read the letter on the table, but Owen had no reason to suspect it would say anything different than the usual 'Call Barret if you need anything I'm sorry' shit. But this time, like the buggy, was different.

"Owen." He heard Juelle's hoarse, boyish voice begin. "Sorry I left again, it's important." Next he'll be wishing he were a better father, I'm sure. Owen sighed. "I won't be back for a long time, and I don't expect you to forgive me for it." Well this was new. He headed down the hall to the kitchen. Cloud had never actually said he would be away for a long time, even though he might not come back for a few weeks. "I didn't have any time before I left, so I need you to return something for me." Owen stopped and leaned against the door frame. Goodie. Errands for daddy. But why didn't he have any time? These trips were timed? Why didn't he just do it before? "Take the buggy to Nibelheim and drop this book off at the Shin-Ra mansion. Don't go inside, please. Just ring the bell and leave it on the doorstep. You can do whatever you want after that—it's not like I would know. I'm sorry I never told you about Midgar. I love you.

--Cloud"

AN: Yaaay, new chapter! Um, yeah. Still kinda short, but that's the way I like it.

But where's is Owens' mother, and what will happen when he goes to Nibleheim? OMG!


End file.
